Friday, October 29, 2010

More from our trip up the coast. We took Jackson across the bridge into Maine and went on a hike. We stumbled upon this picturesque country estate of a shipping merchant named Jonathan Hamilton. It was situated on a bluff and we were the only ones there except for two runners who came through. The grounds were well-kept and beautiful. I asked Jeff to snap a few shots of this old black house on the grounds. {Mental note: Paint house black in next life. It's so cool.}

Jackson had so much fun crawling around in the grass. We felt like we were Mr. and Mrs. Hamilton hanging out on our front lawn and enjoying the view...then we woke up and went to eat some lobster;)

I am finally able to put up some pics of our recent trip up to New England. The weather was crisp and fresh. I had forgotten what fall felt like with our crazy weather here. I have to say that New England is just so darn charming! We caught an impromptu rag-tag marching band dressed in costumes playing in the middle of the town square. Jackson loved it. We took a hike, saw some leaves changing and just strolled around. It was relaxing. On our last day, we took Jackson to the playground and watched the boats going by. I adore that last pic.

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

A father and daughter team make up this little handmade company. How sweet is that? The workmanship is sweet and striking. The cake flags are just adorable. I think the pedestal would make a great wedding present.

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

It's been quite a week. We got back from a wonderful long weekend fall trip up to New England of which I plan on posting pics soon. But, alas, Jackson has a viral infection (poor thing) and has been feeling under the weather these last few days so my posts will have to wait. He is slowly on the path to recovery, seemingly, none the wiser. The other night, though, feeling sick and just plain exhausted, Jackson rose up from bed in the middle of the night with puffy eyes and rosy cheeks, pointed to the window and said, "Bussssss. Bussss." He then fell right back down to sleep to finish his dream. It was heart-melting.

And, speaking of melting, check out this new cookbook by the owners of Tartine Bakery in San Francsico. The grill cheese looks oozy and delicious. Awhile back, I took a bread-making class and learned just how simple the art of making bread can be. It takes little ingredients, just some time and effort. The end result is so perfectly gratifying. I hope to be smearing herbed butter on homemade whole wheat bread for my men very very soon.

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

I remember the day we brought him home. The sweet smell of him. The tiny weight of him and feeling nervous that I could break him. I felt anxious and happy - like I had butterflies in my stomach. I remember thinking "wow, he has a whole lot of hair!" I look back at these pictures now and think of what a magical year it has been and how immensely lucky I am to have this little person in my life.

I'll leave you with some shots from Jackson's birthday party at my parents' house over the weekend. We all had a blast - thanks to everyone who came to celebrate!

Thursday, October 7, 2010

Before I leave you all for the big birthday weekend ahead, I wanted to post two recipes made with the loot we got from apple-picking a couple of weekends ago. I made this jewish apple cake with a couple of adjustments that, thankfully, worked out okay. Phew. It was a hit the very first time I made it was for a friend who has dairy allergies. No milk or butter in the recipe. We also made one of our favorite pasta dishes to kick off the fall - spaghetti with tomato-apple sauce. The dish could really be made all year round, but we made it this same time last year and l.o.v.e.d it. This time we added some sausage. Yum. Totally recommend.

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

It has been awhile. My baby is turning ONE in a few days and I've been in a reflective mood as of late. It's been about family, birthday celebrations, and work...in order of importance. I just had to share some photos from our trip last Saturday to the annual harvest festival at Blue Hill at Stone Barns for #2 of Jackson's 3 (that's right, 3!) birthday celebrations! The day was a perfect fall sunny day filled with food, music, sheep, chickens, pigs, and family...I couldn't have imagined a more perfect birthday celebration for my number one little man.

HELLO!

Welcome! I'm Melissa and this is where I document the simple joys in my life and my attempt to cut out all of the unnecessary stuff along the way; mostly, here, I share the sheer satisfaction I am finding being a wife to my husband and a mama to our new little love, jackson. Thanks for reading!